We are bicycle commuters in the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana. This is our effort to raise awareness of bicycle commuters, encourage more people to get on their bikes, and identify issues pertaining to those of us who use a bicycle for transportation.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Bikeways or maybe even bike and pedestrian only streets

When I read articles like this I have to wonder where a bike only street might be in Fort Wayne. It only could be in the older part of town that are on the grid system and it would have to be on streets that had alley access so that people who lived on it would have a place to park. So what would that street look like in Fort Wayne, Harrison south of downtown maybe? It is not very well traveled, has alley access and would be a pleasant ride. Where else? Fourth Street? Kensington? It's possible but I think here it would be similar to trying to get a Historical Designation or maybe even harder to try to get something like that done. Maybe not though.This article details how a neighborhood in LA tried.

A movement has been afoot for years to remake 4th Street as a "Bike Blvd," a bike-friendly street with various road improvements (such as traffic diverters, signage, or lane markings) that help bikes, cars, and pedestrians safely share the road. (To get an idea of how Bike Blvds work, take a look at this example from Portland, Oregon.) By posting temporary signs and road stencils along the route and organizing group rides, activists have in the past drawn attention to the potential of 4th Street as a biking resource. The efforts of the organizer Ingrid Peterson have led to city council member Tom LaBonge, whose district encompasses 4th Street, joining group rides along 4th Street in 2007 and 2008. If you're interested in learning more of the history of these efforts, Peterson maintains a website that is a clearinghouse of information for all things relating to the 4th Street Bicycle Blvd (or 4SBB) movement.

Pushing for these kind of changes in the public infrastructure takes considerable time and determination. Only if enough yclists make their voices heard will change happen. Of course, not all cyclists are content to wait for government to take action. Perhaps the people best suited to start instituting improvements are cyclists themselves.The whole story here